Captaincy not on my mind, says Shoaib Malik

Pakistan all-rounder more focused on making vital contributions to team

KARACHI: Pakistan limited-overs all-rounder Shoaib Malik has no interest whatsoever in leading the national side and is more focused on making vital contributions to the team, he revealed in an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune yesterday.

Malik revealed that his main priority is to help out his team and is not only focusing on improving his own game but is also assisting young players to improve theirs.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether I am leading the team or not. When I am on the field, I try to share my experiences with everyone, especially the younger lot,” he said.

Shoaib Malik plays one over square leg. PHOTO: AFP

Malik is satisfied with the way Azhar Ali is leading the ODI team and is happy to assist him when required. “Azhar is currently doing a great job leading the team. I try giving my input to Azhar as well which I think helps a captain keep his confidence high.”

Malik, who has retired from Test cricket is preparing for the five-match ODI series against Australia, which starts from January 13, 2017.

“Whenever I play in Australia, I practice a lot on hard surfaces as the pitches in Australia have extra bounce,” he said. “I have plenty of time to practice before the series starts and my experience in the Big Bash will also be really helpful.”

He further added that a batsman has to be aggressive on those pitches and look for boundaries as singles and doubles are really hard to come by.

Malik also praised the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to face Australia after the New Zealand series. “It is good that Pakistan will be facing Australia after New Zealand as the pitches in both countries have a lot of similarities,” he said before praising the impact of new coach Mickey Arthur, who took over from Waqar Younis.

Malik cuts one through covers. PHOTO: AFP

“Arthur always emphasises a lot on physical fitness and that has really helped the entire team. He has inculcated a culture of professionalism where players try to work on areas where they need to improve — something that was missing before,” he said.

‘Karachi Kings strongest on paper’

The former captain of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings is looking forward to the second edition of the T20 league and is expecting a strong performance from his side.

“Karachi Kings have the best squad on paper but in the end execution matters the most in shorter formats,” he said.

“We have included big players such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, while Kumar Sangakkara will add a completely new dimension to the team.”

Cute moment with Babar Azam

Malik carried middle-order batsman Babar Azam off the field in the series against England after the latter was injured in trying to take a backward-running catch.

Babar was carried off the field by Malik. PHOTO: AFP

When asked about the incident Malik said: "I did not want the tempo of the match to be disturbed. He [Babar] ran backwards to take the catch but pulled a muscle or injured himself. So, before the physio could come in and give him treatment, I carried him towards the boundary so that the match could continue. It was funny I know (he chuckled)."

Malik was recently nominated in Hum Style Awards for most stylish sports personality alongside former T20I captain Shahid Afridi and Pakistan tennis ace Aisamul Haq. He said he will the first one to congratulate the winner if it was someone else than him. Last night, Afridi was the one who grabbed the award.

https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/792111019300626432

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.

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